Argentina seeks a repeat title, while hosting United States will have an uphill battle.
Christian Pulisic and the Americans will play their first match of the 2026 World Cup on June 12 in Inglewood, Calif. File Photo by Caroline Brehman/EPA
The 2026 World Cup draw Friday will determine Argentina’s path to a potential repeat title and challenges ahead for the hosting Americans.
Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal, Aaron Judge and Wayne Gretzky will be among the celebrity athletes taking part in the event, which will air at noon EST on Fox and be held in Washington, D.C.
Former England soccer star Rio Ferdinand will conduct the draw for the first-ever 48-team World Cup, up from the 32-team fields from 1998 through 2022.
“To conduct this historic draw is an unbelievable honor,” Ferdinand said in a news release. “As a player, I lived for these global stages — now I’m humbled to play a different, special role together with an incredible line-up to reveal the 12 groups of four teams that the whole world is waiting for.”
Broadcaster Samantha Johnson, New York Giants legend Eli Manning, model Heidi Klum, comedian Kevin Hart and the Village People also will be part of the red carpet event at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.
Spain, the 2024 Summer Olympics gold medalists and top team in the FIFA world rankings, is favored to win the tournament. No. 2 Argentina, No. 3 France, No. 4 England, No. 5 Brazil and No. 6 Portugal are among expected contenders. The No. 14 Americans are still searching for their first title.
The Argentines are looking to win their second-consecutive title and fourth overall, but could attempt to do so without Lionel Messi, who has yet to commit to the tournament.
“I hope I can be there,” Messi told ESPN earlier this week. “I’ve said before that I’d love to be there. … “At worst, I’ll be there watching it live, but it will be special.
“The World Cup is special for everyone, for any country — especially for us, because we live it in a completely different way.”
Only 42 of the 48 spots in the tournament are clinched, with 22 of the 64 teams in the draw heading to playoffs to decide the last final six World Cup berths. The unknown qualifiers will receive placeholder designations at Friday’s draw.
The tournament will include 104 games from June 11 through July 19. The majority will be held at NFL stadiums, while Canada and Mexico will host 13 games apiece.
The Americans will start their run against a to-be-announced foe June 12 in Inglewood, Calif. They will compete in Seattle during Group D competition.
Co-hosts Mexico and Canada will play their respective Group A and Group B openers June 11 in Mexico City and June 12 in Toronto.
Additional Group A matches will take place in Atlanta and the Mexican cities of Zapopan and Guadalupe. Group B meetings will occur in Vancouver, Seattle and Santa Clara, Calif., in addition to Inglewood and Toronto.
Group C meetings will be held in Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia, Foxborough, Mass., and East Rutherford, N.J. Inglewood, Vancouver, Santa Clara and Seattle will host Group D matches.
Additional group stage matches will be held in Houston, Kansas City, Mo., Arlington, Texas.
Knockout stage matches will take place June 28 to July 3. The Round of 16 will be held from July 4 to 7. Quarterfinal games will be played from July 9 to 11 in Foxborough, Inglewood, Miami and Kansas City.
The first semifinal will be July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The last semifinal will be the next day at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The 2026 World Cup final will be July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
Most successful Latin American soccer players of all time
Pelé, BrazilBrazilian footballer Pelé attends a book signing for “Pelé: The Autobiography” at Waterstone’s on Oxford Street in London on May 21, 2006. He won a record three World Cups with Brazil (1958, 1962 and 1970) and scored more than 1,000 career goals, becoming one of the most influential athletes of the 20th century. Photo by Rune Hellestad/UPI | License Photo
